Framed
by SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd
Summary: This is my first story. This story is one I'd written in advance and have revised. The hero of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog, has been accused of treason and is blamed for stealing the Chaos Emeralds from the Freedom Fighters. Desperate to convince others of his innocence, Sonic gives himself up to find out who's behind the robberies and to clear his name. Rated T for minor violence.
1. Chapter 1 - The Arrest

**(Hey there, readers! SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd here with my first story! I haven't read many stories on …in fact I've only read one. But my friend keeps talking to me about it and I decided it's time to post something, just to counter his popularity on here. ) So let's have some fun! A/N's will be in bold and parentheses. Since this IS my first story and I haven't read many, please bear with me and help me out by telling me how I can improve! I want to become a writer someday, so I'd appreciate your input! **

**And a fair warning….I can get crazy. w Very. Crazy.**

**So enough jibber jabber, LET US BEGIN!)**

Intro – Sally POV

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

It couldn't have been him. Sonic would never steal from the Freedom Fighters. But this footage was proof. That was him on the screen, stealing one of the seven Chaos Emeralds. I couldn't see his face, but who could mistake those blue quills, or those red shoes?

I know Sonic, and something is seriously wrong with this situation. Why would Mobius's greatest hero turn on us? Is he working for the enemy? What is his goal? I guess I'll find out for myself during his interrogation.

I knew what had to be done, and I didn't like it one bit.

Chapter 1 **(The rest of the story is in Sonic's point of view.)**

I'm definitely not a morning person.

So why couldn't I sleep? I usually try and get as much sleep as possible between missions for the Freedom Fighters. But at this particular moment, I was alert, kept awake by my own thoughts. I was thinking about a mission I'd completed the other day, and about something my arch-enemy, Dr. Eggman, had said to me before I'd left…

"This is a minor victory for you, Sonic the Hedgehog! I already have the ultimate revenge weapon. You shall fall, rodent, at its hands. Mark my words!"

After that I just knocked him out so I didn't have to look at his ugly face any longer. But what did he mean, ultimate revenge weapon? How soon before I find out what it is? I stared at the ceiling, hands behind head, deep in thought.

That's when I noticed the sirens.

They stopped in front of my house. The next thing I knew, the door was being kicked down by the Mobotropolis Police Force. A man – or shall I say, a dog – I recognized as Sgt. White, was barking through a bullhorn. **(XD I'm sorry, but I had to use that pun.)**

"Sonic the Hedgehog, come out with your hands up! You're under arrest for treason!" said White.

I sat up and shielded my eyes from the bright car headlights shining in my room. "Treason?" I asked. "What're you talking about?"

"Don't make me force you, Mr. Hedgehog," White replied. "I said come out with your hands up."

Curious as to what this was all about, I obeyed, standing from the bed and putting my hands up in surrender. One police officer snapped a thick pair of shackles around my wrists and led me off to a van. I was surrounded by cops. It looked like all of Mobius's forces had come just to arrest me, which made sense in the long run. I could fight if I wanted to, and get away quite easily; not many can match my strength and fighting skills, and no one can match my speed. But I was no traitor, and I wasn't going to run. What would I be running from, anyway?

I was placed in the back of a van, with several armed officers. The doors were sealed firmly, and the van drove off. I sat quietly, listening to conversations over the officers' radios, and it sounded to me like they were discussing what happened and what they were going to do. From what I could gather, one of the Chaos Emeralds had been stolen from a high-security building and I was the top suspect. They were taking me to a prison to be interrogated and tried. Knowing I was innocent, I decided to play along, let them think I was guilty, and find out exactly what this was all about.

**(So what did you think of Chapter 1? This was greatly updated from my original, premade story. Hope you enjoyed it! Can't wait for more? I'll post Chapter 2 as soon as I can. Please leave feedback, and see you all next time!)**

**~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Prison

**(Herro! I'm back! I think what I'll try doing is posting a chapter every week. Please tell your friends about this story and leave reviews to help me improve! Like I said in the description, I wrote this story ahead of time, so I can't really take ideas. But if you have any ideas for future fanfics, I'd be more than happy to hear them! I haven't gotten any reviews yet, but I'm hoping to get some soon! If you don't want to review, you can always PM me. **

**ONTO CHAPTER 2!)**

Several long and boring minutes passed. Well, they seemed long to me; I can get impatient. Before long, the van I was in stopped. There were no windows in the back, but I could guess where we were. Even after the van stopped, it was several minutes later when the doors to the back finally were unlocked and open. I was lead out – slightly roughly – and into a large building that served as Freedom Fighter headquarters. I was surrounded by several police officers, one had a gun pointed at my back, and another had a firm grip on my arm. As if I'd try to escape.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Sgt. White.

"I see no reason to give you that information," Sgt. White said, not looking at me.

I frowned. "If you're going to tie me up and throw me in jail, the least you could do is tell me what's going on."

White sighed. "We're taking you to the prison. You'll be locked away in your own little cell. Try to escape, and we'll restrain you. You will be interrogated in the morning."

"Whatever it is I did, do you have proof it was me?"

"Yes," White said. I saw a smirk playing on his lips. "The stolen Chaos Emerald was found at your house. There's been footage."

I pursed my lips, thinking. I never took that Emerald, so how did it end up at my house? "How do you know I wasn't framed? Remember the little Shadow incident a few years back?"

White's steps faltered, remembering the black and red hedgehog everyone had mistook for me for almost the exact same reason. He had disappeared not long ago. **(Sound familiar? Reference; Sonic Adventure 2.) **White continued walking and shook his head, dismissing the memory as quickly as it came. "I suppose we'll know after the interrogation and trial, now won't we?"

"I suppose we will," I murmured, mostly to myself.

The officers around me lead me out of the back of the building and through a large courtyard. A fountain stood in the middle, with a statue of some of the most important Freedom Fighters; Sally Acorn, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D'Coolette, Rotor the Walrus, Tails, and several others, along with me, holding a flag with the Freedom Fighter logo on it. Behind it, a tiny building with just one door and a window stands, several guards surrounding the door, guns at the ready. Seeing us approach, the guards step aside and use a key to open the sliding door, leading to an elevator. As we move past them, one of them gives me a sympathetic look. I smile at them and wink reassuringly.

Once inside, the door slides shut and the elevator descends underground, taking me closer and closer to my prison cell. I frown to myself, wondering what would happen if they _did_ somehow find me guilty. Offences like these are not taken lightly on Mobius. The elevator stops and the door slides open, revealing a long line of rooms with red doors and a small security system above each one. There was a small window on the door of each room, so as we walked past, I could see the criminals, all unshaven and looking depressed, in the rooms.

The underground prison had been my idea. It would be a lot harder to escape. No windows to tie sheets together and climb out of. All they had was a small hole in the ceiling that let in air and sunlight, protected by a force field, as well as the doors. The elevator was my friend Sally's idea. It could easily be disabled with one push of a button, and from virtually anywhere in the headquarters. The inmates are given plastic utensils; no digging out of the walls. We've never had any one escape. Some are sent to do community work, like gardening for the elderly and to fill jobs no one else will. All are closely monitored and tracked using a virtually indestructible cuff around their wrists. If anyone tried to do something funny, they would get a small but painful shock and would immediately be teleported back to their cell. Would this be the life I'll live?

The officers lead me to the end of the hall. Using one of the same card-keys the guards had used at the entrance to the prison, the door slid open. Obediently, I stepped inside and sat on the bench. Sgt. White stepped in and shackled my ankles with a pair of electric cuffs and unlocked my handcuffs. He stood and looked down at me, a stern look in his eye.

"Don't try any funny stuff, Sonic. We're watching you." And with that, he turned on his heel, stepped out, and the door slid shut, the lock clicking into place.

I didn't sleep much the rest of the night. The thin mattress was too uncomfortable to sleep on, so I spent most of my time pacing the cell. I couldn't move my feet well due to the shackles, so I gave up after a couple of minutes and just sat on the bench with my head in my hands, thinking of ways to clear my name. I had a story I could use, but I also had a motive. I use the Chaos Emeralds for power. They help me win tough battles and transform me into Super Sonic. I won't lie, the power is incredible. However, I would never use the Emeralds just for the sake of having more power and being indestructible. That, I guessed, was what they thought my motive to be. So how would I convince everyone that I was innocent?

Time passed slowly, and I had no way of telling it. It must have been several hours later when the door finally opened, because judging by the light coming from the small hole in the ceiling, it was mid-morning.

"Sonic," said a familiar voice. I lifted my head from my hands. "It's time for your interrogation."

**(That chapter was kind of boring. :P Maybe I'll post another chapter tomorrow, I just like suspense. Hope you all enjoyed, and please stay tuned for Chapter 3 – The Interrogation!**

**Byyyeeee!)**

**~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Interrogation

**(Hey guys! Sorry I didn't get to posting last week, like I said I would, but I'm posting now since I have free time. I'll probably be posting more chapters sooner because I have another story in the works that I can't wait to post! I think you'll all enjoy it. I want to finish this story first, so that's Priority 1. Anyway, here we go…)**

I looked up at the voice and saw one of my closest friends, Sally Acorn, standing in the doorway, a clipboard and laptop at hand.

"Can I trust you enough to unlock the shackles?" She asked me, holding up a remote.

"You, of all people, should trust me," I said, slightly irritated.

She smirked and pressed a button on the remote. The electric band holding the cuffs together disappeared and the shackles fell from my ankles. I stood up and stretched, then followed her out of the cell and down the hall. She led me to a room just off the hallway. At first I thought it was another cell; it had the same door all the other cells had. But, when she opened the door, I saw how different it really was. Inside, a table sat with two chairs, one on either side. One chair was a normal desk chair. The other was made of stone and bolted to the ground, with metal bands on the armrests and near the base. It looked more like a chair used to torture someone. I drew back slightly. Sally noticed my expression and smiled a little.

"We won't do anything to you, I promise," she said.

"_We?_" I asked. Sally gestured to two guards standing nearby. Also, upon peering into the room, I saw cameras attached to the ceiling in the corners of the room. Someone would be watching us. I frowned.

"Go on in and have a seat," Sally said. Hesitantly, I went inside and sat in the stone chair. Almost immediately, the metal bands slid around my wrists and ankles, keeping me in the chair. Sally sat across from me and put her clipboard and laptop on the table. One guard closed the door and stood by it inside the room. The other stood outside the door as backup.

"I never knew how tight the security was here," I said, trying to keep my mind off the interrogation.

"You should," Sally said. "Your Uncle Chuck helped design it."

I nodded, thinking about it.

"So let's get started, shall we?" Sally said. I looked at her expectantly. "Do you know why you were arrested?"

"Everyone thinks I stole the Chaos Emerald?" It ended up sounding like a question.

"Yes, and for injuring numerous guards," Sally added.

"What?" I asked in disbelief, eyes widening.

"Yeah," Sally nodded. "Where were you—"

"When the brains were handed out?" I interrupted, smirking. She rolled her eyes.

"Where were you _between 3 and 5 AM _the day before yesterday?" She gave me a look when she completed the sentence.

"At Tails's," I replied curtly. "As soon as I returned from Robotropolis, I went to his house to stay the night."

Sally wrote down everything I said. After a minute she looked back up at me. "Do you recognize this footage?" She opened her laptop and typed on it for a minute, then turned the screen around to face me and pressed play.

The video showed nothing at first, just a room with pillars near the walls holding up the ceiling, a laser security system all around a glass dome containing a smaller glass dome that held a glowing red Emerald. A few seconds later, however, red lights started flashing on screen and alarms sounded, and explosions were heard. Then, a door slid open and smoke billowed out into the room. Through the smoke, a figure was seen jumping over the lasers and onto the platform the dome was on. The silhouette of the thief _did _look like me, unmistakably. Then, the thief backed up, and used _my_ spin-dash to destroy the outer dome, and then he smashed the inner dome with his fist. More alarms sounded. As the smoke cleared, I clearly saw that he was the same shade of blue I was, and had the same red sneakers. When he turned around, Emerald in hand, a shadow fell over his face. But I thought I saw a glint of red in his eyes. A moment later, he put out his hand in the direction of the camera, and a blast of energy shot out of his palm and destroyed it, making the screen go fuzzy and then blank. I clenched my fists in anger.

After a minute of silence, Sally spoke up. "That same Emerald was found at your house last night."

I hesitated. "That wasn't me," I said through clenched teeth.

"Then what do you make of the Emerald, and the footage stacked against you?"

I took a deep breath, and then looked at her. "Either I watch too many crime shows, or I've seen enough robberies to know that this had many huge flaws. One, wouldn't you try and _sneak_ in instead of blowing things up? And two, for Chaos's sakes, look for cameras!" I found I was tense, and attempted to relax.

Sally frowned. "What do you have to say about the Emerald?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea how that thing got to my house. The only way it would've gotten there is if someone put it there." Just then, I realized something. I looked up thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, that would explain why there was footage in the first place. He obviously knew the camera was there, so he _wanted_ you to have a video. He wanted to frame me. It all fits!"

Sally screwed her mouth to the side in thought, writing down what I said. "There is a thin line between knowing too little to be innocent and knowing too much. I think you just about crossed that line."

"_What?_" I said, about to stand up abruptly, but the shackles cut into my wrists and I winced, and tried to relax again. "But I'm _innocent!_ I'm just thinking out loud!"

"You may be, but the footage and evidence suggest otherwise."

I groaned in frustration. "Fine, you want proof? Ask Tails if I was at his house. Bring him in if you have to. _You,_ of all people, should know I was on a mission the day before, and got captured. I _told_ you I was going to Tails's. And you know I can't do Chaos Blast with one Emerald! He did Chaos Blast, just like Shadow. You trust me, you have to believe me!"

Sally glanced nervously at the cameras, then leaned over the table and whispered, "I do believe you, Sonic. It's the commander and everyone else who doesn't. Everyone's asking for justice, and almost everyone thinks it was you. But I know it's not. It's not like you." She smiled a little and sat back in her chair.

"Thank you," I said quietly, returning her smile.

Suddenly, her handheld device started ringing. "Sally Acorn speaking," she said, answering it. Through a burst of static, I heard a voice on the other end, but not well enough to make out words. As he spoke, Sally's smile faded, and she looked at me anxiously.

"And you didn't find out till now?" She said into the device. The man kept talking, and then she nodded. "Alright, then, I'll look into it." Then she hung up, folded her hands on the table and looked at me.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Apparently, a second Emerald was stolen at about 3 AM last night."

"I was sleeping then," I said, looking innocent, and then I murmured to myself, "or at least trying to."

"Hm…" Sally nodded, and then continued. "No one found out about it until a few minutes ago because all the guards were somehow knocked out and the alarms disabled. There was more footage." She began typing into her computer and turned it around to face me, pressing play.

The footage was similar, except the lasers disappeared, there were no alarms or smoke, and it clearly looked like me. But this time, after he smashed the case and got the Emerald, he looked directly at the camera, jumped up and spin-dashed into it, destroying it again.

"Hold it, go back a few frames!" I said, slightly excited. Sally did so, and paused it on when he looked at the camera. There, we got a clear shot of his face. It was his eyes that were most intriguing.

"Red," she said, slightly breathlessly.

I nodded. "Red eyes. I have green eyes. Do you believe me now?"

Sally hesitated, and then slowly nodded. "I-I guess I do." She cleared her throat. "Even so, we need further proof. So here's what we're gonna do. We're going to lock you up – "

"_What? _ No! Please!" I begged. "It's boring in there!"

"Let me finish! We'll lock you up for a few days, and if the third Emerald is stolen, everyone'll know it wasn't you because you're _here._ We'll let you go and set up an attack plan for the thief. It'll at least convince everyone else you're innocent."

I frowned, and then nodded. "Sounds good." Then, I smiled to myself, thinking of what I'd do to the thief for framing me. Sweet, sweet revenge. "Let's do it to it!"

Sally smiled. "Alright then…" She held up a pair of handcuffs and swung them a few feet away from my face. "Sonic the Hedgehog, you're under arrest."

**(So that's the end of Chapter 3! What did you all think? Please review, I'd really appreciate it! Stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon! Adios to all you splendid readers!)**

**~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Battle

**(Ugh. Ok, so I'm reeeeeaaally bored, it's kinda late but I don't wanna go to bed , so STORY TIME! There are probably only 2 or so chapters left in this story. WOW. Short story. X3 Once the story is finished, if you'd like me to add more to it, please review! So in this chapter, you'll FINALLY FIND OUT WHO THE CULPRIT IS! WOOT! I've finally started getting reviews, so I'm kinda stoked. PLEASE REVIEW, I LOVE YOU GUYS! I LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.**

**ONTO THE AWESOMENESS OF ICE CREAM AND STUFF.**

**LOL IDK. Don't ask.)**

Days passed. I paced my cell impatiently, waiting for word from Sally about the Chaos Emeralds, but the only thing I got was that the second one that was stolen was found at my house. Right now, my odds weren't looking good, and Sally told me that some people were planning my trial. I was getting anxious; my foot tapped so rapidly it was just a blur of red and white.

Sally came to talk to me at least twice a day, telling me what evidence the police was finding, what they thought, and how things were going.

"What if they find me guilty?" I ask one day. "What will happen if whoever's doing this knows where I am, and knows not to steal the Emeralds?"

"My guess is," Sally said, "that the Emeralds are too important for them not to steal. Eventually, they'll go back for them. How long…I'm not sure. But you know the verdict for traitors, don't you?"

I glared at my shoes. "Yeah. Either a lifetime in prison, or you get thrown out of Mobotropolis."

**(I actually tried looking in one of my comics…"The Trial of the Traitor," issue 233 in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. I didn't find anything, naturally, so I made up my own verdict. Carry on!)**

The conversation petered out there. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I was no longer accepted in my own town. What would it be like if I wasn't thought of as the hero, but as the opposite? The traitor. I couldn't do that. I couldn't _be_ that. I have my goals, my dreams, and my determination to keep the world safe. Part of being a hero is being recognized for it, in my mind, but maybe that's just because I like showing off. Even so…

Four lengthy days later, I was set free.

When Sally unlocked my cell door, she had a wild expression in her eyes. I looked at her with my head in my hands, sitting in a corner of the room. I had been staring at the camera, as if daring it to do something. She was breathing hard, like she'd run here, and when she caught her breath, she spoke.

"The third Chaos Emerald was stolen just hours ago. Witnesses say the culprit looks like you, and is speeding off towards the fourth."

At this, I stood up immediately. "About time!" A grin spread across my face. Sally unlocked the shackles around my ankles and briskly lead me off to a meeting room. Passing officers gave us a range of expressions; from a confused look to a high five and some words of encouragement. My face now erased of all emotion, I followed Sally, determined to pay the imposture back in kind. I only half listened to the plan that was discussed in the meeting room, I was busy formulating my own. I heard the most important details; I would be given the remaining Emeralds just in case this guy is as powerful as previous doppelgangers I've faced, like Metal Sonic, a robot copy of me that matched my strength, speed, and abilities, and Shadow, who also had similar abilities. Both, at the time of enemy encounter, worked for Eggman. Something told me this thing was Eggman's latest weapon that he had spoken about. I would need to be on my toes.

Minutes later, the group of seven Freedom Fighters, including myself and Sally, with a plan in mind, were on the elevator out of the compound to the surface. We all took off (the Freedom Fighters on hover scooters and myself running) toward the fourth Chaos Emerald containment facility, just outside of the city of New Mobotropolis. I was the first to arrive, and after some negotiations between Sally and the main guard, we were let inside.

This was the plan. I would be stationed behind the containment unit, hidden in the shadows, ready to jump the thief. I was the best fighter in the group, so naturally it would be me to take him on. Sally was stationed near me in case I needed backup. Officer White would be in the control room, helping to maintain security to slow down the thief. We all had comlinks and would radio each other if something happened. Two Freedom Fighters, Lexi and Night, were watching out front. Two more Freedom Fighters, twin wolves named Leeta and Lyco, were on watch on the roof out back. **(If you read Sonic the Hedgehog, the comic, you'll recognize the names Leeta and Lyco from the Secret Freedom Fighters. It took me like 15 minutes to find the comic they were in to find out their names. The other two names are made up, to my knowledge.)**

Hours passed and I got impatient, my foot tapping rapidly, a continuous _taptaptaptap _counting down each millisecond as it passed.

"Stop it!" Sally hissed.

"Sorry, but you know I hate waiting," I whispered back.

"Still, keep it down."

I stopped keeping track of time and just watched as the sun set and the moon rose outside the window. How I would like to get a good, long run in…

Finally, the comlinks beeped in warning of an incoming message. Night's voice echoed through the earpiece we all wore.

"He's coming fast," he said. "Get rea—" His voice was cut off in a burst of static and then an explosion was heard. I could see fire flickering in the hallway and guards yelling. Another explosion in the same hallway sent the doors to the containment room flying open and smoke billowing in. Faintly, through the smoke, I saw Sally run out of the room and vaguely heard that someone was hurt over the comlink. But I was too intent on the silhouette I saw dart around a corner in the hallway, looking dark blue because of the smoke. Alarms sounded, and adrenaline started pumping through me, like my very blood was alive with electricity. I waited, and a wall was bust down from the opposite side of the room. The entire place was in chaos, except the room I was in.

I tuned out all sounds, listening to the quiet footfalls of someone coming closer. I shrank back, praying the shadows concealed me. When the smoke somewhat cleared, I clearly saw…_me._ Well, it looked like me; the similarities were striking. The only difference was our eyes. As I suspected, his eyes were crimson red, and they glowed. He walked up to the containment unit and simply smashed through both glass domes with his fist as if all they were was a thin layer of ice. He grabbed the Chaos Emerald – which glowed dully; Sally had replaced it with a fake and gave the real one to me to use in the fight – and held it up to the dim moonlight, analyzing it. This was my chance.

_Do it now._

I curled into a ball and spun in place, giving the intruder a moment's warning, then spin-charged at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back into one of the supporting pillars. I jumped back and landed on my feet, glaring at him. The intruder stood up shakily, still unsteady from my surprise attack. His eyes flashed and he grinned.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," he said in a robotic voice, "I've been expecting you."

I just narrowed my eyes, now confirming what he was; a robot. Another Metal Sonic. When will Eggman give up? I said nothing and put my foot back, preparing to attack. But before I could, he spin-dashed me to the ground, pinning me, with his hands on my wrists and knees on my legs. I struggled against his abnormally strong grip.

"It's a shame we only just met," the robot said. "But now it's time I destroy you." He pulled his fist back, preparing to strike, but I took the freedom of my arm as an opportunity to push him off me. I rolled out of the way and into the shadows, then got to my feet. He stood, and scoped the darkness for me.

"I know you're in there," he said. "You can't hide."

I tried to keep my breathing steady and quiet and crept along the wall, trying to get behind him, while his red eyes probed where I'd disappeared, and followed my path. Bolts of energy shot from his hand as he fired into the shadows, and I swiftly, though barely, avoided each one. Then, he stared right at me, and I froze. If I was gonna do something, I had to act fast. So I lunged at him, landing on top of him and knocking him to the ground again. But he was ready; he had his feet under me when I landed on him and, with a huge amount of force, launched me through the skylight above.

I grimaced when I broke through the glass, but realized what was going on and righted myself in the air, landing neatly on my feet on the grass outside. He leaped through the skylight and landed several meters away from me. His eyes glowed brightly in the dark night.

"Who are you?" I asked, catching my breath. "Who do you work for, and why are you after the Emeralds?"

"My name," the robot began, "is Cinos, also known as Metal Sonic 3.0. I am the perfect, unflawed Metal Sonic of Doctor Eggman's Metal series, and your exact copy. If you'll look back and remember when you were captured several days ago, you were scanned as well as electrocuted, were you not?"

I didn't answer, but the memory came back to me. I had been shackled to a wall in Eggman's laboratory, and a ray had scanned me, sending shocks that lasted a few seconds through my body, as well as exhausting me. I thought, at the time, that it had been just a way to torture me. I now second guessed that.

Cinos smirked, seeing the recognition on my face. "Yes, he was collecting information about your DNA to create me. No bio-sample needed, just the data from the scan. I am his ultimate weapon. At my hands, you will perish."

At this, I let out a yell of anger and ran at him, fist pulled back, ready to pound his face in. But he got ready, getting into a fighting stance with one palm out and blasted me before I reached him, sending me flying backwards and landing hard on the ground. I coughed and wiped a trickle of blood from my mouth, and tried to get up. But in a moment he was beside me, and he kicked me in the ribs – hard – so I flew a few more feet away. Face contorted with pain, I got to my hands and knees, shaking, but before I could get up I felt an iron hard hand close around my throat and lift me, strangling me. I kicked in the air, hands groping at Cinos's, glaring at him.

A smirk spread across his face. "I thought you'd be tougher," Cinos said. "But you're easier to defeat than the robots I practiced against."

"You….can't….." I found it extremely difficult to talk.

"Can't what? Take the Emeralds for the Eggman Empire to successfully run? Destroy you, then get rid of all your little Freedom Fighter friends? Remake everything you sought to protect in Eggman's image? Forget it, rat, you _lose._ Give up."

I closed my eyes and stopped struggling. "I'm not…..a rat," I said, but my voice was so hoarse and quiet, it was inaudible.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cinos smirked, putting a hand to his ear mockingly. "Was that the sound of you giving in?"

I opened my eyes and glared at him. "I said," my voice was stronger now, "I'm not….a rat."

"Then what are you?" he sneered, holding my throat tighter.

I managed a smirk as the seven Chaos Emeralds floated out from behind me and surrounded the two of us, spinning gradually faster and glowing brighter.

"I'm your worst nightmare," I replied, and I closed my eyes.

I tuned out everything around me and just listened to my own thoughts, good, calm thoughts, and in a flash of golden light and a yell of confident power, I hovered above my new enemy, quills upraised and colored a glowing gold.

The tables have finally turned in my favor.

**(That was fun. :3 For the record, Cinos is not a name I came up with. I got it from Sonic Shorts on YouTube, REALLY FUNNY, by the way, and if you pay close enough attention, you'll realize it's Sonic spelled BACKWARDS. ^u^ So credit to whoever made the Sonic Short with Cinos in it for the name.**

**Stay tuned, I'll try and post the final chapter and the finale to the battle tomorrow. I think 2,250 words is enough for one chapter. Byyyyeeee!)**

**~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Aftermath

**(HI! I am now multitasking…stalking SEGA (found out about the latest Sonic game) and writing! I figured I'd post the last chapter today. Please leave reviews on what you thought of the story, if I should continue it, or whatnot. Otherwise my next story is coming soon, it's already in the works! Some of the Super Sonic attacks used in this story I had researched actually WHILE writing, strangely. And what SUCKS is that only Shadow can use most of the attacks I'm finding, so….I'm kinda using them with Super Sonic, because to me, he can do ANYTHING. So yeah. Hence the "Nerd" part in my pen name. I research Sonic. Anyway…I shall begin where I left off. Hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger! XD**

**As Sonic says, "let's do it to it!")**

The power given to me by the Chaos Emeralds surged through me, renewing my confidence in the battle at hand. I looked down at Cinos, who stared at me in surprise. Once he recovered, an ever-present smirk spread across his face.

"Ah, so you've chosen to use the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic," he said. "Impressive."

"I doubt you have the ability to transform, eh, Cinos?" I responded with a smirk.

"Maybe not, but I still have twice the power as you."

"You think so, huh?" I cocked my eyebrow mischievously. "Wanna bet?" With that, I thrust a hand out in front of me, sending a blast of golden energy in his direction. But at the last moment, he jumped out of the way just as the energy blast hit the ground instead of him, burning the grass and leaving scorch marks. We both frowned.

"I've been taking it easy on you, hedgehog," Cinos said, straightening. "I see that has to change." He put both his hands at me, sending a Chaos Blast hurtling towards me. I mimicked him, putting my own hands out and sending a counter blast, causing our two attacks to collide and explode in mid-air. I flew back to avoid the relatively small inferno. When it cleared, Cinos stood in the same place, but besides a few scorch marks on his fur, was relatively unharmed. Without hesitating, he shot another blast at me, this time catching me off guard and hitting me in the chest, sending me flying backwards. I steadied myself, grimacing, but it was short-lived as adrenaline masked the pain.

I realized his strategy; strike without warning. I decided to do the same and launched myself at him in a burst of speed, performing a Super Sonic Boost. I pushed him to the ground and back a ways, stirring up a path of dirt in the process. He glared at me and blasted me off of him, and I flew back to hover above him. Instead of a direct attack, I put my hands out in front of me, palms toward him, and sent a series of blasts at him. Cinos shielded his face with his arms, but each attack hit him and knocked him backwards until he fell on his back. Immediately, I started charging my next attack. After a few moments, using the time it took Cinos to recover, I sent a beam of light and energy from my hands straight for his core. The beam of light enveloped him, forming a sort of dome around him.

"Heh-ha!" I cried in triumph. But a moment later my blast was deflected outwards toward me. I shielded my face, closing my eyes, and was blown backwards. The wave of energy felt like a wall had slammed into me. I landed hard on the ground, rolling a few feet. I groaned. Then, a hard metal foot pinned me down, pressing down on my rib cage. I looked up and gasped at the sight of Cinos, then smirked to myself.

The blast had done more damage than I thought. Half of Cinos's face was missing, as was one of his arms, leaving just a sparking mess of wires and metal. He pulled back his remaining hand, palm open, a red energy spear forming in it.

"I've let you live for far too long tonight, hedgehog," he snarled, his robotic voice even more eminent. "I'm done playing. You're through!"

I closed my eyes and let out a shout of frustration. Why won't he die? That blast should've killed him! I was right. Eggman's bots are getting harder and harder to beat. I disappeared, teleporting behind him. My attack was already charged. It sat ready in my hands. Cinos turned after a moment and stumbled back, though his glare never ceased.

"I think it's you who will die tonight." A smirk played on my lips.

"You wouldn't –"

He didn't get to finish. In a moment, I had flown several meters away and was charging at him, arms outstretched. I let go of the blast, and it sped directly toward him, a yell tearing from my throat. The blast enveloped him, and I realized another problem; I was flying too fast, I would fly right through the blast and do more damage to myself than I could heal. But it was too late to pull up. As the light enveloped Cinos, I flew past, smashing my fist where his heart would be to finish him off for good. I flew out of the dome of energy as fast as I had gone in, but felt almost nothing besides a tremendous amount of pressure; I was pure adrenaline. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see the robot, Cinos, explode in a fiery inferno, I laughed to myself and slowed to a stop. No sooner had my feet touched the ground that I turned back to my normal, blue self and collapsed.

* * *

I woke to the sound of sirens on the distant roads. I opened my eyes and lifted my head enough to see flashing red lights in the parking lot of the facility, and could vaguely see people moving around. My entire body ached intensely. What had I been doing?

That's right. I fought Cinos. I had won. But I didn't want to get up. Can I just lay here until someone found me? I groaned to myself at the thought of getting up and let my head lay back on the grass, shutting my eyes.

"Sonic!"

My ear twitched in the direction the voice came from. I opened my eyes again. Tails was running towards me, his two fox tails waving behind him. I smiled a little as my best friend knelt beside me.

"Hey bud." My voice was hoarse.

"I heard what happened and came to help. Are you ok?" He carefully put his hand under my arm and helped me up.

"Yeah," I said, grimacing, my voice tight and strained from pain. "Is everyone else…ok?"

"I'm not sure. I just got here." He nodded toward a familiar plane parked a dozen or so meters away. "But I doubt all those emergency vehicles are for you."

I frowned and looked up. There were more cars in the lot than I'd thought. Tails helped me walk over to the parking lot, me limping slightly. I draped an arm over his shoulder and allowed him to support my weight. All I wanted to do right now was sleep. Not see who got injured.

As we got closer, I could hear the commotion going on. People were shouting orders to others and rushed around. Some people were being wheeled around on stretchers into the four emergency vehicles. Whatever had happened, it wasn't good.

Someone gasped. "Sonic!" The voice was feminine. Sally.

I looked up and half smiled. "Hey, Sal."

"Oh, my Chaos, what happened?" she asked, guiding me to sit on the edge of one of the open vehicles.

"Long story, but I'll make it short," I replied. "Cinos."

"Who?"

"Cinos, the 'perfect Metal Sonic,'" I said in a mocking tone. "My imposture, the one who framed me? I had to fight him. Pretty sure those cameras caught it all." I nodded at some cameras on the roof that were pointing toward the field I had fought in. I also noticed that the entire front of the building was missing; just a smoking pile of rubble remained. What'd happened to the two Freedom Fighters on lookout there, Night and Lexi?

"Ah," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the cameras.

"What happened back here?" I asked.

"Well, the explosions that went off before you started fighting him…did some damage to our team," she replied. For the first time, I noticed her cheeks were tear-streaked. I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She looked away, but not before I saw more tears welling up in her eyes. "Night is dead," she said, her voice choked. "Lexi is in critical condition. Officer White is missing, and Leeta is suffering from smoke inhalation."

"Oh," was all I could say.

Sally nodded.

I stood up, wincing slightly. "I'm gonna…head home and recover. Let me know if something else comes up. I am…free to go, right? I'm innocent?"

She looked at me and smiled a little, her blue eyes shining with tears.

"Yes, Sonic," she said. "You're innocent."

**(I think I'm gonna end it there. What do you think? Should I? Maybe my next story could be the sequel to this, and it's much longer. I could make it work. :) Please review! I want to know what you thought of my first story. Well…I have nothing else to say, really. So stay tuned!**

**Keep on reading!**

**~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd )**


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